Democratic Convention Moves to Smaller Venue, as Delegates Are Urged to Stay Away

WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Convention will move out of Milwaukee’s professional basketball arena, and state delegations are being urged not to travel to the city because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, party officials said Wednesday.

Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. still intends to travel to Milwaukee to accept his party’s presidential nomination, his campaign manager said, but neither his campaign nor the Democratic National Committee has made firm commitments that Mr. Biden will attend.

The Democratic convention will be “anchored” in Milwaukee, but the four-night mid-August event will “include both live broadcasts and curated content from Milwaukee and other satellite cities, locations and landmarks across the country,” according to a news release.

The announcement that the convention will move five blocks from the 17,000-seat Fiserv Forum to the Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee’s convention center, stands in contrast to the plans being made by Republicans, who at the behest of President Trump moved the venue for his nomination acceptance speech from Charlotte, N.C., to Jacksonville, Fla., where local officials have required fewer safety precautions, even as cases of the virus continue to surge in Florida.